Building A Portable Wargaming Surface

A Portable Battlefield, Why Not?

I’ve always wanted a wargaming table, hell I’ve been playing wargames since I was a teenager. I built one a while back for Warhammer but it’s still sitting in my parents garage, very unpainted and unused. Problem with that table is that it’s an actual table (4’x8′) and I didn’t pack it up when I moved because I’d have nowhere to store it. Now that I’ve gotten into Warmchine which requires a much smaller commitment (4’x4′) to play, which I figured I could swing. I thought that would be small enough to get in and out of my back sliding door, but as it turns out that’s not true either. If I had french doors maybe, but I don’t. So…the solution to my problem was to just create a 4’x4′ surface that I could fold up or piece together and easily store.

Further Improvements

So below you’ll find a gallery of pictures I made documenting the whole process. I also put together a video on the whole process as well, but be warned that it’s pretty shaky-cam-tastic. I still have 2 steps to take now that the table is built. Hindsight is 20/20 after all so I’m going to get some felt and hot glue it over the staples so that they cannot scratch fingers or surfaces beneath. I’m also going to get a 1″ piece of “runner” to put around the perimeter of each board and sand it nicely so that when placed the board lays perfectly flat (It already does for the most part but I’m a perfectionist) and so that the hinges don’t mar the surface below the table.

Supplies & How To

All supplies listed I either already had or got from the local Menards. I’ve included the price on every item in case you happen to not own or have access to any of them. A note on the screws I’d like to mention is that even though they are the same length as the boards are thick, the thickness of the hinges will prevent the screws from breaking through the other side and provide an optimal hold. Also, avoid getting particle board when making a surface because the material is packed much tighter which provides less grip for screws and may not hold up over time. It’s about the same price as OSB or a decent plywood anyway.